Manga Trends for 2008

Yeah I know it's a bit too late to post this since we're almost at the middle of 2008, but there's still 8 more months to go! So I stumbled across this list of 2008 manga trends that are quite apparent this year. Plus we're getting a glimpse of what else we're expecting in the months to come. It's a pretty good year for manga fans like me, especially with these trends that we're seeing these days.

Without further ado (while it's still 2008), I bring you the 2008 Manga Trends:

1. Movies based on manga. Yep, we've been seeing these a lot with the list of manga being adapted into movies - and not only movies, but live-action series as well. Examples are Dragon Ball Z, Speed Racer, HanaKimi, Honey and Clover...the list goes on!

2. Return of the "dead" manga. Old and has-been manga titles are coming back this year as publishing companies re-publish them to return them to their glory days. Expect to see Slam Dunk, Crayon Shin-chan and Black Jack in your bookstores soon.

3. Mainstream goes manga. Seems like a lot of bestselling authors are trying their luck with manga. Now even James Patterson and Dean Koontz will create a story that will be published as manga: Maximum Ride (Patterson) and In Odd We Trust (Koontz) are coming later this year.

4. Downpour of OEL manga. I've never been a fan of OEL (Original English Language) manga but I could be part of the minority for all I know. But a lot of them will be coming out this year including a Simpsons coming drawn manga style! (That I want to see.)

5. Mooks. What are mooks? Magazines and books combined equals mooks. They're prettier than books but more of a collectible than regular magazines. One of them actually caught my attention: The Gothic and Lolita Bible. (It's already out so if anyone has a copy, tell me if it's good.)

6. Mobile manga. Companies like CMX, Tokyopop and Flex Comics are tapping into Japan's (supposedly) $20M cellular phone manga market. They've recently showcased their respective applications for the mobile phone. Wouldn't it be a bit too hard to read manga on a cell phone though?

7. "Unclassified" manga. This year, we'll be welcoming some manga that aren't in your usual shoujo, shounen and [insert manga genre here] genres. The way the stories are written and how the artwork are drawn is pretty new to manga too. Three titles will be/are available for this year among others: Me and the Devil Blues, The Bible Manga and Yakuza in Love.

8. International tie-ups. This means that manga can be and will be released at the same time in Japan, USA and Korea. That's all there is to it. Lucky you people who live in those three countries.

9. Yaoi at its finest. I'm so not a fan of yaoi, I just want to make that clear. Anyway, expect to see an influx of yaoi titles this year as established manga companies bring forth their yaoi imprints: Boysenberry Books (Broccoli Books), Deux Press (Aurora Publishing) and Yen Press.

10. Hooray for josei. We need more sexy josei manga! And in response to that, LuvLuv Press will be releasing a series of sexy manga for women my age. The first in this line was already released last January: Voices of Love. (Need to find it!!)

11. Take a breather, kiddos. There isn't that much kid-friendly manga slated for release this year. So sorry, kids. You just have to re-read your old manga or try looking for other manga titles that you haven't read yet - which are for your age, of course.

Well, there you have it! Is there a specific trend that excites you...or something?

Source